Friday, April 4

Weekend Eagle Blogging Week 1: Apple, Fennel, and Celery Salad

The story of how W.E.B. began:

A couple of weekends ago while I was making lunch, Jeff suddenly froze at the computer. In an intense whisper, he said: "Sue, there's an eagle on our windowsill." "Yeah, right," I responded, and continued slicing my fennel.

The next thing I knew, Jeff s-l-o-w-l-y slithered out of his chair and grabbed the camera. So I dropped my chef's knife and walked to the window. "OH MY GOD! There's an eagle on our windowsill!" I exclaimed. "I know, that's what I tried to tell you!" he said.

Jeff made it to our deck and started snapping pictures of this fiercely beautiful creature. We were mesmerized; it's not too often you see an eagle on your windowsill. After several minutes, he took off, and we went inside to eat our lunch, which included this apple, fennel, and celery salad. Which is when this brilliant idea hit me.

For months now, I have been holding back. Well, no more. I am frankly quite tired of the whole weekend cat blogging scene. Having never had a cat nor met a cat I particularly liked (or that liked me), I have always felt left out on Saturdays. I think I might have been a dog in a former life or something, because every time I encounter a cat, it stops in its tracks and stares me right in the eyes -- like it knows my secret or something. Even in pictures on the web, they are staring at me.

Every Saturday as I troll through my reader, I jump when a cat picture pops up. I have found myself now avoiding the whole Saturday scene. So here's my idea. For all you non-cat girls (and guys) like me who slump on the sofa on Saturdays, ostracized by the cat community, I'm starting W.E.B. (Weekend Eagle Blogging). Send me your most adorable shots of Tabby or Fluffy the eagle eating a rodent or picking road kill out its talons, and I'll post it. Oh yeah, this is gonna be big.

This salad is like a farewell to winter and a hello to spring: winter's tart Granny Smith apples get a lift from the season's new crop of licorice-laced fennel and fresh dill. Topping it off with plump, chewy raisins makes it even sweeter. It's a satisfying salad of complex textures and flavors that is sure to please (even if you don't have any eagles to admire while you eat it).

Since I never feel left out of Weekend Herb Blogging, I'm sending my salad to this week's host and creator of WHB, the always kind Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.

In addition to being an aphrodisiac, mildly licorice-flavored fennel is low in calories and nutritious. One cup of sliced fennel is only 27 calories and has a mere 6 grams of carbohydrates. Yet it provides 17% of your daily recommended allowance of vitamin C. It's currently in season and is exceptionally flavorful, so it's the perfect time to try it.Apple, Fennel, and Celery SaladMakes 4 servingsPrint recipe only here.

To toast the walnuts, place in a small, dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Set aside.

To make the vinaigrette, place mustard seeds in a small, dry skillet over medium heat; toast for 1-2 minutes until they begin to pop; set aside.In the same skillet, sauté shallots in olive oil; whisk in remaining vinaigrette ingredients.Turn off heat.

For the salad, place apple and fennel slices in a bowl with fresh lemon juice and toss to prevent them from turning brown. Pour out lemon juice before adding to salad.

In a large bowl, add mesclun, apple and fennel slices, and celery; add vinaigrette, and toss until well coated. Divide among 4 plates.Garnish with raisins and walnuts.

70 comments:

Last spring we had a pair of nesting hawks who took up residence in the trees across from my office window. If they come back this year, you can count me in for WEB! And definitely count me in for this salad -- just my kind of dish.

I could be mistaken, but this seems more likely to be a hawk, a falcon or a even a buzzard, unless it's a baby eagle, because an eagle is much, much bigger. Actually almost twice the size of a hawk; an American eagle is over 6 feet across when wing-spread, large and heavy enough, to pick up without any trouble, a cat or even a dog. Hawks, falcons and buzzards are beautiful animals none the less, but they are much more common than eagles. They're all still rare in cities (but they do come, for rats, birds and other small animals). An eagle at your window... would truly have been something else!

Eagle, hawk, whatever... that's impressive!!!! Very cool. We spotted a Golden Eagle in Skye last week but it was ever so slightly further away. Here's the picture though:http://www.flickr.com/photos/teach77/2369199720/

Ha, ha, while I was reading the bit about cats staring at you I saw there was a cat staring at me from your add :DI love cats but I don't like Weekened Cat Blogging I must say, I'd rather see something delicious like your salad. I think the picture is super beautiful!

You are too funny, and that's exactly how weekend herb blogging got started since I didn't have a cat or a dog. (In those days there was weekend dog blogging but I guess the dog people went back to cooking on the weekends.) I don't know if that's an eagle or not, but I love the sound of the salad. Fresh fennel is on my to-do list; I can't believe I haven't cooked anything with it.

Whatever it is, it is beautiful and what a site on your windowsill. The photos are just amazing. Very cool.

I prefer dogs myself and cats never really liked me either. But as I got older a few will now approach me, it's kind of weird. It seems when I finally gave up on trying to get them to like me, that's when they came along.

The salad looks to die for. I love fennel as you have seen on my blog. This sounds so good, I love the idea of using the sweet raisins with it. YUM!

Funny and delicious wrapped up in a post :).Somehow your salad reminds me of Louis Armstrong's "Oh yeah" form What a wonderful world :D. I love the springy touch and am delighted that spring has finally arrived, we need the good energy infusion!In fact I just made my favourite springy salad the other day and submitted it to a springtime salads roundup event.

My six year old read this post with me and he informed me emphatically that this was NOT an eagle but a hawk (saw that in the end of your post!) He wants me to tell you that "eagles are much bigger and have yellow beaks!"

I haven't quite decided if I like fennel or not. I'll have to give it more of a chance.

Fresh and clean and slightly sweet!, your salad with fennel looks delicious! We once had an owl perched on our deck and sat there for a good hour while we were sitting out there, he wouldn't move! Sort of creepy!!

We have a bird feeder just outside our kitchen window. The mice like to come and eat the seeds the messy birds knock to the ground. We had a hawk swoop in a grab a mouse - about 2 feet from the window. Scared the crap out of all of us: humans, dogs, and smaller birds. Mouse was not scared...dead, but not scared.Sorry, no photo...Do remains count? I'm always finding hawk meal remnants on our walks...

You, my dear, an a trendsetter. T-R-E-N-D-setter. I couldn't decide how to use my fennel today (was torn between soup and salad) and though I went with the salad the anisette smell was just so luscious my mind was almost changed.

That looks like a hawk that I get hanging out on the telephone wire behind my house. What a fierce looking creature. I'm afraid to let Charlie out when he's around. I saw him swoop down and get something in my back yard ... next time I'll try to capture the moment on camera to participate in your blog event!

Once had a run-in with a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but my celebration of that encounter was nowhere near as creative or delicious as yours. I just popped the cap on a Beck's Dark. Just the sight of that salad made me feel as if spring really is here. Thanks for the blogga, little sister.

Talk about serendipitous...I read the fennel salad recipe, lamenting the sparsity of Meyer lemons in these parts, and what jumps out at me from among the supermarket citrus? Bingo, courtesy Frieda's. Their color is yellow but slightly Da-Glo. The juice is almost sweet. I love 'em. Now, if the market would just bring on the fennel. Love your blog. By the way, can anybody help. I have a Google account, but that name and password don't work here; must I also be a Google Blogger to post comments with a name as opposed to "anymous"? As far as I know, I have no URL, and as for Open IDs, what in blazes are those. In case someone can help. Thanx.

Hi there anonymus!You don't need to be a Google Blogger to post comments with a name. You first need to choose "Google/Blogger" in the list and then the username and pasword of your google account.Hope this helps!

Amazing to watch these birds. I used to watch many a bald eagle on the light post outside my house devour a Kokanee salmon from the lake...no photos. We also go hiking up Giants Head in Summerland. If you are there at the right time of morning there are 4 that soar. I can watch them for hours...but have no photos either..only of the view:D Not usually very cooperative:D

Hi. I really wanted to exchange links! My website is www.mychocolateheaven.blogspot.com I hope you like my site as much as I do yours! haha. I have already added your website to mine and I hope you can return the favor. If you do get a chance, please inform me at my website. Thanks!!!

Ha! The cat people will be after you! I suspect that eagle was eyeing your salad, no doubt. Back here on the east coast, spring made a brief appearance on Saturday, and then ducked out again. No eagles, and fortunately, no cats either. :-)

Ugh- that salad is to DIE for! I will be making it for sure. And even though I'm totally a cat person, I've never done weekend cat blogging! Is it bad that this post has inspired me to start? I have some eagle (or is it hawk?) pictures to send you though... it is so fun to see these little guys!

Susan, this sounds amazing and I'm definitely going to try it. When I was in Victoria in February I found a dynamite little place that serves food that is bursting with flavour, is FRESH, and most is organic. I tried their apple, fennel salad and your ingredients are nearly identical. They used fresh fig instead of raisin and "ooh la la" that was really nice, I thought.

lore, many thanks. I love food porn, and I particularly love Susan's blog. I just hate to sign in "anonymous." I sounds somehow subversive. I tried what you suggest, and it doesn't want to work, but we'll try again. Well, it doesn't seem to want to work, so here's "anonymous" again. Have to try to reach a real person at Google. But thanks.

anonymous-Thanks so much! I'm so glad you discovered the amazing sweetness of Meyer lemons. I'm addicted! As for signing it, click on "Name/URL" and type in your name. It should work w/out the URL. I just tried it, and it worked for me. Let me know!

lore-Thanks for helping her!

helen-Thanks a lot!

bellini-You're right, they aren't usually cooperative.

carol-Thanks a bunch!

journeyoflife-Many thanks for the link and kind words.

tw-I know, I better watch out! ;)

cakespy-Aw, thanks! :)

bee-Thanks to you!

laurie-Well, he wasn't getting any. ;)

pixie-Snow? Oh, no!

holler-Glad you liked it!

dhanggit-I hope you try the salad.

kate-You're welcome.

deborah-ROTFL. :)

bazu-Let me know how the salad turns out. :)

fearless-The vinaigrette is really flavorful and works wonderfully on veggies too.

susan-I'm not serious. Please, no cat photos. I promise to be good. :)

ann-He was awesome.

diane-Figs would be fabulous in this salad. I'll have to remember that in the fall.

indonesiaeats-Thanks!

anna-Wow! I haven't gotten a gold star since elementary school. :)

anonymous-Please see my comment above re: name/url. Good luck! And thanks for visiting even as "anonymous." :)

The salad looks great, but, really, how cool to see a raptor (hawk, eagle, whatever) at your window! I saw an eagle today while driving; it seemed a little unsafe to stop and photograph it, but I do have an odd photo of a stone hawk-woman that I saw on an old palazzo.